The Vulgate, also called Biblia Vulgata, or the Latin Vulgate, is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, done by St. Jerome. St. Jerome, also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian. He was born in 347 AD and died in 419/420 at Bethlehem, Palestine.
Pope
Damasus I (Damasus of Rome, reign, from October 366 to December 11, 384)
commissioned Saint Jerome to produce a standard Latin translation of the Bible.
There were many different Latin versions of the Bible at that time. But Pope
Damasus I wanted the church to have a standard version to promote universal
doctrine.
St. Jerome translated the
Bible into Latin between A.D. 383 and 404. He translated the gospels from
Greek. He also corrected or revised some of the existing translations. He
translated the Old Testament from Hebrew. In 406, he completed his translation
of the Bible into Latin. Jerome’s Latin Bible is known as the Vulgate because
he used the common, or vulgar, language of early mediaeval times.
The Latin phrase “Coram Deo” appears in Psalm 55:13 of the Vulgate. The verse is found in Psalm 56:13 in modern English translations.
Psalm 56:13 For You have
delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I
may walk before God In the light of the living? (NKJV)
Psalm 56:13 For you have
rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk
in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light. (NLT)
Psalm 55:13 (Jerome’s
Latin Vulgate)
quia liberasti animam
meam de morte et pedes meos de lapsu ut ambulem coram Deo in luce
viventium (according to the Hebrews)
quoniam eripuisti animam
meam de morte et pedes meos de lapsu ut placeam coram Deo in lumine
viventium (according to the Septaugint, Greek)
Because thou hast
delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in
the sight of God, in the light of the living.
The phrase “before God” (NKJV) or “in your presence” (NLT) is
“coram Deo” in Latin. The word Coram literally means ‘before the face of’ and
Deo means God. The phrase means to live before the face of God or in the
presence of God.
Coram Deo is more popular among Reformed theologians and
Christians. Other Christian denominations and Catholics have adopted the phrase
as well.
Dr. Robert Charles Sproul (R.C. Sproul, 1939–2017) was an
American Presbyterian pastor, theologian, author, apologist, and
Bible teacher. He is the founder of Reformation Bible College (2011) in
Sanford, Florida. In a conference, a businessman asked Dr. R. C. Sproul in all
earnestness, “What’s the big idea of the Christian life?” He was, in fact,
sincerely seeking to know the overarching, goal of the Christian life. R.C.
Sproul answered him in a Latin term, “coram Deo." R. C. Sproul said, “The
big idea of the Christian life is coram Deo. Coram Deo captures the essence of
the Christian life.”
In Christian theology, the phrase “coram Deo” has gained a
deeper meaning as a philosophy for living the Christian life. It is a reminder
that all life is about God and that we must live our whole lives to glorify and
honour God. According to R. C. Sproul, the essence of coram Deo is to “live
one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the
glory of God." It describes what the Christian life is all about or should
be all about.
To live Coram Deo is to live one’s entire life:
·
In the presence of God
·
Under the authority of God
·
To the glory of God.
No degree of separation
The entire life of a born-again Christian is always in the
presence of God. They are never out of the presence of God. There is no
compartmental life. There are no secular and spiritual compartments in life.
Everything is always spiritual and in the presence of God. Whatever a Christian
does is spiritual. His life is always spiritual. What he thinks and says is
spiritual. Everything is spiritual, and nothing is secular.
David was spiritual while he was the king of Israel. He was
living spiritually to the same degree as when he served as a shepherd. Jesus
was spiritual during his earthly ministry. He was in the same degree spiritual
throughout his life, from childhood to the time he started his ministry. His
spirituality did not increase, decrease, or vary before his ministry, during
his ministry, at the Garden of Gethsemane, or on the cross. His spiritual life
was of the same degree and intensity. So were the Apostles Peter, Paul, and all
other Christians after their conversion to Christianity.
Coram Deo is no degree of separation from the presence of
God.
In the presence of God
What does it mean to live your entire life in the presence of
God? It is living before God, in constant awareness of His presence, in
communion with Him, as you live in this world and in eternity. Our spiritual
life in this world does not end with physical death. It continues to the same
spiritual degree in eternity.
What is the presence of God? God’s presence is never
described in the scripture as electric shock, cold shiver, etc. These can be
personal experiences when a person comes suddenly into the presence of God. But
the real presence of God is awesome in nature, experience, sight, and
substance. It is always the awesome presence of an Almighty God.
Jacob’s dream
Jacob was the grandson of Abraham. Once, on his way from his home in
Beersheba to Padanaram to his uncle’s house, Jacob slept at a place in an open
field. The place was called Luz at that time and later came to be known as
Bethel. In his sleep, he saw a dream. He saw a ladder that was set up on the
earth, whose top reached to heaven. Angels of God were ascending and descending
on it. (Genesis 28:12). When Jacob woke up from his sleep, he exclaimed,
Genesis 28:16, 17
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep
and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
17 And he was afraid and said,
"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this
is the gate of heaven!"
Jacob describes God’s presence as “How awesome is this
place”.
Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy describes God as “dwelling in
unapproachable light”.
1 Timothy 6:16 who alone
has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can
see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (NKJV)
1 Timothy 6:16 He alone
can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach
him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him
forever! Amen. (NLT)
St. Paul describes the awesomeness of God’s presence as
“dwelling in unapproachable light” (NKJV), “he lives in light so brilliant that
no human can approach him” (NLT), “whom no man has seen or can see” (NKJV), “No
human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will” (NLT).
God himself confessed the awesomeness of His presence. He was
responding to Moses’ request to reveal His glory to him.
Exodus 33:18, 20
18 And he said, "Please, show
me Your glory."
20 But He said, "You cannot
see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."
In verse 33:20, God said to Moses, “no man shall see Me, and
live." No human being in his sinful state can bear the fullness of God’s
glory.
But there are some verses that apparently say that some human
beings saw God and still lived.
God appeared for the first time to the whole Israel nation on
Mount Sinai, on their way from Egypt to Canaan. The Israelites came to Sinai in
the third month after they had gone out of Egypt (Exodus 19:1). On the
mountain, God appeared to make a covenant with them. It was not a personal
appearance, but a national one.
Exodus 19:16, 18
16 Then it came to pass on the
third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick
cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all
the people who were in the camp trembled.
18 Now Mount Sinai was completely
in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like
the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
Exodus 20:18 Now all the
people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the
trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled
and stood afar off.
The people did not see God in His full glory. Exodus 19:18 says that
“the LORD descended upon it in fire” and verse 20:18 says that “all the people
witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and
the mountain smoking”.
Jacob wrestled with a Man on the bank of the river Jabbok (Genesis
32:22). After the Man departed, he exclaimed:
Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the
name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life
is preserved."
Jacob wrestled with a Man who was a manifestation of God. He did not see
God personally.
Exodus 33:11 says that God spoke to Moses face-to-face, as a man speaks
to his friend.
Exodus 33:11 So the LORD
spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return
to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart
from the tabernacle.
Numbers 12:8 I speak
with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the
form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant
Moses?"
Deuteronomy 34:10 But
since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD
knew face to face,
“LORD spoke to Moses face to face” signifies his intimate
relationship with God. It does not mean to speak face to face as humans do. It denotes
God’s favour towards Moses.
“face to face” is used here as a figure of speech
called anthropomorphism, in which human qualities are applied to God. The
word anthropomorphism comes from two Greek words: anthropos,
meaning “man,” and morphe, meaning “form.” In theological terms,
anthropomorphism is the process of assigning human characteristics to God.
Human traits and actions such as talking, holding, reaching, feeling, hearing,
and the like are attributed to God throughout the Bible. We read of God’s
actions, emotions, and appearance in words we normally associate with humans.
So, the terms face, hand,
and back in Exodus 33 should not be taken literally,
and face-to-face is a common idiom that we use. It is also metaphorical.
Moses spoke with God familiarly, as a man speaks to a friend. Moses had the
highest degree of intimacy with God that any human can achieve.
In the same chapter, verse 18,
Moses requested God, "Please, show me Your glory." He has not yet
seen God in the fullness of His glory. But God denies the request, saying,
"You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live." However,
in verse 23, God said, “you shall see My back; but My face shall not be
seen."
Exodus 33:21-23
21 And the LORD said, "Here
is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22 "So it shall be, while My
glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover
you with My hand while I pass by.
23 "Then I will take away My
hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
The words “face” and “back” are used here in
reference to God’s "glory." Since God is spirit and His glory is
intangible, we must understand the words to signify varying “degrees” of glory.
God’s hand in verse 22 is an obvious reference to God’s protection.
In the Bible, God often communicates using terms easily understood in the human
experience.
When God
told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus
33:20), He was saying that no mortal man in his sinful state can withstand the
fullness of God’s glory.
That is to say that no man can stand and yet live in the
awesome presence of God unless he is spiritually born again from above. The New
Testament believers can stand in the presence of God because they have
“obtained eternal redemption” through the blood of Jesus Christ. So we always
stand in God’s presence.
Hebrews
9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered
the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 10:19-22
19 Therefore,
brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new
and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His
flesh,
21 and having
a High Priest over the house of God,
22 let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Elijah the prophet
In 1 Kings 19, we read about God appearing before Elijah, the
prophet. The other day Elijah killed four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal at
the brook Kishon, in the valley of Mount Carmel.
At Mount Carmel, Elijah asked Ahab, the Israel King, to
gather all Israel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four
hundred prophets of Asherah, on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19). Elijah proposed
to sacrifice a bull to Baal and another to Yahweh.
But it seems that only 450 prophets of Baal attended the
sacrifice. In verse 22, Elijah said, "I alone am left a prophet of the
LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.” And in verse 40,
Elijah ordered, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them
escape!" He killed all the 450 prophets at Brook Kishon, at the base of
Mount Carmel.
King Ahab reported all the events that happened there to the
queen, Jezebel (1 Kings 19). She pledged to take revenge on Elijah’s life. In
fear of life, Elijah ran for his life to the wilderness, and sat down under a
broom tree. There he was fed by an angel with cake baked on coals and a jar of
water. From there, he went to Horeb, the mountain of God. There, he went into a
cave and spent the night there. And the word of the Lord came to him, asking
him to stand on the mountain before the Lord.
1 Kings 19: 11, 12, 13
11 Then He said, "Go out, and
stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by,
and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in
pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a
fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard
it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the
entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are
you doing here, Elijah?"
“but the LORD was not in the wind” means the Lord did not
appear in the wind or did not speak from the wind, earthquake, or fire. He did
not appear before Elijah in any form but spoke in “a still small voice."
Verse 11 says that “a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke
the rocks in pieces before the LORD." The presence of God was accompanied
by a great, strong wind that tore the mountains and broke the rocks into
pieces.
In verse 11, God asked Elijah to “stand on the mountain
before the LORD." The phrase “before the Lord” in Latin vulgate is “coram
Domino." In “broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD," the “before
the Lord” is “ante Dominum."
“Coram” in Latin means face-to-face, in the presence of, before. The
Latin word “ante” means before, preceding, in front of, in the presence of, in
view. The Hebrew text for “before” is “paniym” (pānîm - paw-neem) which also
has the same meaning. The words “Domino” and “Dominum” come from the Latin word
dominus, which means owner, master, or Lord.
So the meaning of verse 11 is "Go out and stand on the mountain in
the presence of the LORD." And “a great and strong wind tore into the
mountains and broke the rocks in pieces in the presence of the LORD." The verse
simply means that God asked Elijah to stand on a mountain in the presence of
God. And as “the LORD passed by,” a great and strong wind tore into the
mountains and broke the rocks in pieces in the presence of the LORD. But God
did not appear or speak to Elija in the wind, earthquake, and fire. God’s
presence was marked by mighty wind, earthquakes, and fire. There was no
appearance of God, but the presence of God filled the place. It was an awesome
presence of God.
The awesomeness of God’s presence is described by the response of
Elijah.
1 Kings 19:13 So it was,
when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and
stood in the entrance of the cave.
Elijah was afraid to look at the presence of God. So he
covered his face with his mantle.
Elijah’s mantle is mentioned three times in the books of the
kings. Elijah wrapped his face with the mantle as he stood in the presence of
God. He threw the mantle on Elisha to impart his anointing onto him.
1 Kings 19:19 So he
departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with
twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed
by him and threw his mantle on him.
It is the same mantle that fell from Elijah as he was taken
alive to heaven, which Elisha picked up.
2 Kings 2:13 He also
took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood
by the bank of the Jordan.
It was the mantle of
anointing with which Elijah covered his face when he stood in the presence of
God. Even the anointed servant of God could not stand in the presence of God
without covering himself. God’s presence is so awesome.
Isaiah’s vision
Another description of the awesome presence of God is recorded in the
Book of Isaiah 6.
Isaiah 6:1-4
1 In the year that King Uzziah
died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of
His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each
one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet,
and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and
said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of
His glory!"
4 And the posts of the door were
shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
In a vision, the prophet Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne, high and
lifted up, in the temple. The train of his robe filled the temple.The Hebrew word
used for “temple” is hêḵāl (hay-kawl') which means a large public building,
such as a palace or temple. So, Isaiah saw God sitting in a large heavenly
palace or temple.
The angels seraphim stood in His presence, covering their faces and
feet with two wings. Face and feet may mean the whole body. Seraphim angels
covered their whole bodies with their wings. They cried to one another,
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His
glory!" The posts of the door were shaken by their voices. The temple was
filled with smoke. When Isaiah saw the vision of God, he was reminded of his
sinful state, and he cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man
of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my
eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5).
This is the awesome presence of God, where seraphim cover their face and
body with their wings. Where the angels always sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the
LORD." Where the sinful man feels wretched because of his sinful state.
John's vision of Heaven
After the message to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia,
the book of Revelation moves forward in the prophecy describing John’s vision
of “a door standing open in heaven”. He heard a voice “like a trumpet,” calling
him up to heaven in order to see “what must take place after this” (Rev. 4:1).
We are not sure whether John was taken to heaven in spirit or with his body.
The verse says only that:
Revelation 4:2
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One
sat on the throne. (NKJV)
Revelation 4:2 And
instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting
on it. (NLT)
Revelation 4:2 At once I
was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone
sitting on it. (NIV)
In his vision of heaven, John sees a throne, and “One sat on the throne”
(4:2). The one seated was “like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and
there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald” (3).
Vivid colours are used to describe the throne room and the one who sits
on the throne. Jasper stone is described in Revelation 21:11 as being clear as
crystal. It permits light to pass through it.
Revelation 21:11 having
the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal.
Sardius stone was a fiery red stone. Around the throne is a rainbow that
has the shine or glimmer of deep green, like an emerald. This is a depiction of
luminosity, of the brilliance of the glory of God.
Surrounding the throne of God are twenty-four smaller thrones, on which
twenty-four elders are seated. In keeping with Revelation 21:12–14, these are
likely the twelve heads of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles
of Jesus.
Revelation 21:12, 14
12 Also she had a great and high
wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on
them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
14 Now the wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb.
The people of God throughout the ages can be summed up in these
twenty-four individuals. That means this is a reference to God being surrounded
by the whole of His people. All these 24 elders wore white robes, and “they had
crowns of gold on their heads” (4:4).
Many see the 24 elders as representing the saved people of God in the
Old and New Testaments. The 24 consist of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12
apostles, which represent all the saved under both covenants.
Lightning, thunder, and voices come forth from the throne (4:5). “Seven
lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of
God” (4:5). We see the seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of
God. The seven spirits of God may be a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Before the throne, there was something like a sea of glass, like
crystal. This is a description of the splendour, beauty, and majesty of the
throne room of God.
There were also “four living creatures full of eyes in front and in
back” (4:6). The first was like a lion, the second was like a calf, the third
had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. All four had six
wings each and were full of eyes around and within (8). And they continuously
through day and night said: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was
and is and is to come!" (4:8).
Whenever the four living creatures praise God, “the twenty-four elders
fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him, casting their
crowns before the throne" (4:10). They said, "You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your
will they exist and were created" (11).
John’s vision of heaven depicts God in His absolute sovereignty and
glory. This is a description of the awesome presence of God.
God’s presence in Acts
The presence of God in the Holy Spirit, as described in the New
Testament, is also often accompanied by awesome incidents. It is written that
when the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples on Pentecost day, the whole
building where they were praying was filled with a huge sound, and there
appeared to be divided tongues as of fire.
Acts 2:2, 3
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them
divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
After healing the lame man who sat begging at the gate of the Jerusalem
Temple, Peter and John were caught by the Sadducees and put in prison. On the
next day, a trial was held by the rulers, elders, scribes, Annas, the high
priest, Caiaphas, etc. The assembly that held the trial threatened and
commanded the disciples neither to speak at all nor to teach in the name of
Jesus. Afterwards, the apostles were set free. And the apostles rejoined other
believers. They praised God for the deliverance and prayed.
Acts 4:31 And when they
had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with
boldness.
Willing submission
To be in the presence of God is not to be under the prying eyes of God. Being
in the presence of God is an active and willing submission to His presence.
God is not a being who spies into your life, looking at you through a
peephole in a remote, dark place. God is omnipresent, and He cares for our
lives. He is omniscient and knows all about us. His eyes are always on us,
protecting and providing for us. It is not an interference in your life.
There are many verses like Psalm 139 that speak about the omnipresence
and omniscience of God. God is omnipresent in the whole universe. He is present
where Christians live as well as where atheists live. God is omniscient. He
knows everything in this universe. He knows all about the Christians as well as
the atheists.
But being in God’s presence is a different experience. It is a willing and
active presence before the face of God. It is being present before God because
one loves to be before God’s face. Being in God’s presence is more precious
than everything else, earthly or heavenly.
“Coram” in Latin means face-to-face, in the presence of, before. Being
in the presence of God face-to-face means being in His view. The face is used
here as a part of the body that can be turned to a person or turned away from a
person. So, God turns His face to a Christian who stands in His presence. A
Christian is always before the face of God. It is not that God always spies at
Christians; it means a Christian actively and willingly stands before the face
of God without ever leaving the presence.
Psalm
26:8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your
glory dwells.
Psalm
27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell
in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the
LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
Psalm
65:4 Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may
dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of
Your holy temple.
Psalm
90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work
of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm
84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
David was a man who tasted and knew what the presence of God was. He
loved to be in His presence always. It was not out of compulsion. It is not an
annoying prying of God into our lives. It is being before the face of God,
willingly and actively, out of love. There is nothing worth desiring on earth
or in heaven.
In brief, Coram Deo is always living in the awesome presence of God. A
Christian actively and willingly stands there every moment of his life. A
Christian is never, even for a fraction of a moment, away from the presence of
God. Whatever he speaks, works, or thinks is in the awesome presence of God.
There is no degree of separation.
1 Peter
1:8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet
believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Under his sovereign
authority
To be aware of the presence of God is also to be acutely aware
of His sovereignty. To be in the presence of God is to live under the sovereign
authority of God. It is to recognise and accept that if God is God, then He is
indeed sovereign.
Living under God’s sovereign authority is being sensitive to
His sovereign involvement in human life. God is working to forgive, to heal, to
strengthen and save us, according to His eternal plan. Salvation belongs only
to God and the Lamb.
Revelation 7:10 and
crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
Paul and God’s Sovereignty
On the way to Damascus, near the city, Saul was confronted by
the refulgent glory of the risen Christ. His immediate question was, “Who is
it, Lord?” He wasn’t sure who was speaking to him, but he knew that whoever it
was, He was certainly sovereign over him.
Acts 9:3-6
3 As he journeyed he came near
Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground,
and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
Me?"
5 And he said, "Who are
You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
6 So he, trembling and
astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord
said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you
must do."
The “light shone around him from heaven” was the mighty glory
of Jesus Christ. It came down from heaven. Jesus spoke to Saul from His
heavenly glory, which is His presence. In His presence, Saul realises that
Jesus has sovereign authority over him. From this realization, he asks, “Who
are You, Lord?" And he responds to Jesus saying, "Lord, what do You
want me to do?" It is a willing submission to the sovereignty of Jesus.
God’s presence demands active, willing submission to His sovereignty.
Willing submission is not motivated by a fear of punishment.
It is an acceptance that there is no higher, lower, or equal authority in
heaven. God is the sovereign authority over human beings. It is a recognition
that the highest goal of human life is to offer honour to God. Our lives are to
be living sacrifices, oblations offered in a spirit of adoration and gratitude.
No degree of separation
Coram Deo is no degree of separation. Living in Coram Deo means
living an integrated life. To live under God’s sovereign authority is to live
always under it. A Christian life cannot be compartmentalised into spiritual
and secular. It is everywhere and always spiritual.
To live Coram Deo means to live constantly aware of God’s
presence, to live in constant communion with God, and to integrate our
relationship with God into every aspect of life. It is a life of wholeness that
finds its unity and coherency in the majesty of God.
God is King over our every breath, each of our relationships,
and all the works of our hands. No room remains for divided interests.
Matthew 6:24 "No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God
and mammon.
To live under God’s
sovereignty is to live as His slave.
· A slave has nothing as
his own. He enjoys everything the master has.
· Slave is not free, but
the master is free.
· The slave does not
think, the master thinks for him.
· A slave is not anxious
about his future or needs, his master will take care of it.
· The slave does not act
on himself, he does what the master commands.
· The slave always lives
in his master’s house.
· A slave is always, every
minute the slave of the master, under his command.
· A slave enjoys a great
degree of freedom under the lordship of his master.
Abiding in Christ
To live under God’s sovereign authority is not living out of
fear of punishment; it is a willing submission to His sovereignty. In other
words, it is to abide in Christ. “Abide in Christ” communicates the meaning
better than words like "living under authority."
John has used the word “abiding” in his gospel at several
places to describe a believer’s right relation to Christ.
John 6:56 "He who
eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
John 8:31 Then Jesus
said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed.
1 John 2:6 He who says
he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 John 3:6 Whoever
abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
1 John 3:24 Now he who
keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that
He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1 John 4:12, 13
12 No one has seen God at any
time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected
in us.
13 By this we know that we abide
in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
2 John 1:9 Whoever
transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He
who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
John 15 tells us that abiding in Him gives us life and
vitality. The context is Christ’s last of the "I AM" sayings. The
chapter starts as follows:
John 15:1 "I am the
true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Jesus continued to say:
John 15:4-7, 10
4 "Abide in Me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without
Me you can do nothing.
6 "If anyone does not abide
in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and
throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 "If you abide in Me, and
My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for
you.
8 "By this My Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 "As the Father loved Me,
I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 "If you keep My
commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love.
The word “abide” in Greek is “meno” (menō - men'-o), which
means to sojourn or tarry in a place, to be held, kept continually, to continue
to be present, not to depart, not to perish, and to endure. When talking about
it in relation to a person, it can mean to survive, live, and remain as one and
not to become another or different. That is, abide in Christ is the state of
remaining always in the presence of Christ without being different from one in
Him.
To abide in Christ and have Him abide in us means relying
always on Christ for our life and vitality. In other words, our lives and
vitality belong to Him. We receive it by abiding in Him. Abide in Christ means
to continue in a daily, personal relationship with Jesus, characterised by
trust, prayer, obedience, and joy. Those who abide in Christ are transformed
into His likeness through His word and their will directed by Him.
To the glory of God
Five Solas
The five “solas” are five Latin phrases that became
popular during the Protestant Reformation. The word sola is “only” in Latin.
These phrases emphasised the distinctions between the early Reformers and the
Roman Catholic Church. They are:
1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)
2. Sola Gratia (Grace alone)
3. Sola Fide (Faith alone)
4. Solus Christus (Christ alone)
5. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone)
The fifth
phrase is Soli Deo Gloria, or glory to God alone. Salvation is wholly a work of
God for His glory. Believers contribute nothing to their salvation. So God
alone deserves to receive all the glory. Living to the glory of God is the
beginning and the end of all our lives. It is the whole purpose of our
lives.The fifth phrase is Soli Deo Gloria, or glory to God alone. Salvation is
wholly a work of God for His glory. Believers contribute nothing to their
salvation. So God alone deserves to receive all the glory. Living to the glory
of God is the beginning and the end of all our lives. It is the whole purpose
of our lives.
Christ humbled Himself to the point of death and
was raised and exalted to the right hand of the Father to the glory of God
alone. Grace and mercy are offered to rebellious sinners to the glory of God
alone. Justification is by faith alone to the glory of God alone. The Holy
Spirit inspired the Scriptures to the glory of God alone.
1 Corinthians
10:31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God.
Since God alone is the One who redeemed us from our sin, He
alone deserves all the glory and praise.
Titus 3:5 not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 115:1 Not unto us,
O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
Isaiah 43:7 Everyone who
is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes,
I have made him.”
Since God created us for His glory, we live for Him and His
glory. We do not live for ourselves, not for others’ approval, recognition, or
admiration.
Galatians 1:10 For do I
now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased
men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Coram Deo reminds us that we live for the glory of God and
for the glory of God alone.
Coram Deo
Psalm 56:13 For You have
delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I
may walk before God In the light of the living?
“To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the
presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.” (R.C.
Sproul).
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